1802.] 
feveral times for the-purpofe of procuring 
models and defcription of our cotton- 
mills, has, after many unfuccefsful at- 
tempts, lately conftructed one of the moft 
perfeét ‘kind at Ham, near Hamburg. 
Mr. Haufen had employed feveral fkilful 
German artifts and mechanics; but ftill ' 
there ‘was fomething wanting to perfect 
their work; at length, however, they 
facceeded by the affiftance of an Englifh- 
man, JOHN TuRTON, anexcellent work- 
man in fteel, iron, and brafs, and who 
was initiated into the moft fecret myfte- 
ries of the machinery of the Englifh cot- 
ton-mills. 
Citizea DE LaLanveE has announced, 
in the Preface of his Celeftial Hiftory, 
that there are many void fpaces in the 
heavens, many changing ftars, and many 
red tars. In a memoir lately publifhed 
by him, called ‘*« Remarks on the Fifty 
‘Thoufand Stars, the Obfervations of which 
have been publifhed by Citizen Jerome 
Lalande,’ he introduces further details 
on thefe objects, which he has accompa- 
nied with tables. By void {paces, he un- 
derftands here the {paces where no ftars 
of the ninth magnitude are feen. They 
are the fmalleft that can be eafily perceived 
withan acromatic glafs of 67 millimetres 
aperture, the objective of which is en- 
lightened to fee the edges (fils). It is 
unqueitionable, that by removing every 
foreign light, and by employing ttronger 
glafles, we fhould have the void fpaces, 
properly fo called, confiderably diminifh- 
ed ; perhaps there is not in the whole 
heaven a fingle place where a tele(cope can 
be pointed, without perceiving a great 
number of ftars, but lefs than the ninth 
magnitude, and, by confequence, too fee- 
ble to be of any ufe in allronomy. Citi- 
zen Lalande gives thé catalogue of all 
thele void fpaces; that is to fay, his 
table includes the right afcenfion and 
the declination of the middle of each 
of thefe {paces. The changing ftars 
are included in a fecond table; they are 
to the number of 31. There are only 12 
the period of which is known; but there 
are many others which diminifh fo as to 
difappear at intervals. By following them 
attentively, we may determine the time 
which elapfes between two fucceflive dif- 
appearances ; and it is a kind of obferva- 
tion which this zealous aftronomer pro- 
poles tothe curiofity of thofe who, hav~ 
ing only moderate inftruments, are never- 
thelefs defirous to be ufeful to aftronomy. 
Particulars relative tothe continuation of 
the Diftionary of the French Academy.— 
_ When the ruling party of what was cal- 
MONTHLY Mac. No. 87. 
Literary and Philofophical Intelligence. 
467 
led the Convention thought proper to 
complete the deftruétion of all that ftill 
fubfifted in France—all that had been for- 
gotten by what had been named the Con- 
ftituent Affembly—the philofophical and 
literary focieties were not fpared; the ex- 
iftence of men of letters was a terror to 
thofe men who withed every thing to re- 
femble themfelves ; their difperfion, and 
even the lofs of life, entered into their 
plan of reform. A decree ordained the 
fuppreffion of three academies, and the 
violation of their property. The manu- 
{cripts of the French Academy, the refult 
of its labours on our language, becare 
the obje&t of this expoliation. Citizen 
MORELLET, whowas then Director, was 
not called to the placing of the feals ; 
but foon after, Citizens CuBIERES and 
Ursan DomMeERQUE, a Member. of the 
Committee of Public Inftruétion, fent to 
inform Citizen Morellet, that they were 
goins to infpeét them, and that it was fit- 
ting he fhould be prefent. The Prefident 
of this Committee of Inftruction likewife 
ordered this Academician to refer to the 
Committee the manufcript of the Di&io- 
nary, that is to fay, the two volumes in 
folio of the edition of 1762, charged in 
the margin with all the corrections, addi- 
tions, and changes, the fruits of the ob- 
fervations of the Academy during 30 
years. Now that the government is em- 
ployed in repairing the ruins of all kinds, 
which covered the whole of France, fome 
men of letters, miembers of the old French 
Academy, prefented to the Minifter of the 
Interior a plan of execution, already con- 
eeived by the Academy itfelf, in. which 
were found a Grammar, a Syitem cf Rhe- 
toric, and a Syftem of Polity. The exe- 
cution was to be intrufted to thofe of the 
old Members of the Academy that had 
been moft converfant in the ftudy of ian- 
guages, and they were to aflociate to 
themfelves fome diftinguifhed men of let- 
ters, competent to concur in this labour. 
This project was not unknown to fome 
Members of the Inititute, and that nume- 
tous body judged that they alone fhould be 
employed in the work, following exaétly 
the plan prefented. It has accordingly 
appointed four members of each of the 
clafles which compofe it, to improve the 
language, and to preferve the principles 
of tafte. This end, which it is not fo ealy 
to attain, as it appears to many, calls for 
preliminary acquirements, which thofe un- 
doubtedly poffefs who have been nomi- 
nated to the compilation, in which the 
ancient academicians have an unqueftion- 
able right, founded on priority, on the io- 
$F tereft 
